If Mrs. Mortimer's religious beliefs influenced her more enlightened political beliefs, they also caused her to be narrow minded towards other religions. She describes the Roman Catholic faith as a type of Christianity but "a very bad kind," and calls Catholics idol worshippers. Islam is given even worse treatment with Mohammed being called a wicked man and the Koran "filled with foolish stories, absurd laws, and horrible lies." She believes peace in Palestine will only arrive when all of the Jews convert to Christianity. Her contempt for Eastern religions is even greater with a quick dismissal of them as, "The religion of Tao teaches men to act like madmen, the religion of Buddhism teaches them to act like idiots, and the religion of Confucius teaches them to act like wise men, but without souls."
Much of the marketing and press coverage of The Clumsiest People in Europe has focused on the unintentional humor of Mrs. Mortimer's writings in this age of political correctness. However much of that humor can be gleaned from just reading the back cover of the book or from the numerous reviews that have been written. The true power of Mrs. Mortimer's book is in providing insight into the thinking of Victorian England and reminding us that our beliefs, thoughts, and opinions may someday be judged just as odd by future generations.
